On land they have to be careful about coyotes. Fourthly, sea otters are also threatened by predators that live underwater like orcas, sea lions, and bald eagles. Which sea is the saltiest, the Red Sea or the Dead Sea? This a sea otter holding sea urchins which are a main food source for them. Of course Otters aren't the most powerful animals out there which is why they often find safety in numbers. I recently found out that sea otters fall asleep holding paws and my heart has never been so full. Also the enemy is a man. The Aquarium is home to five non-releasable female sea otters. Who would win in a battle between a sea otter and a hyena? read more, Sea lions are a problem in some areas as well. While scuba diving around the Aleutian Islands in 2014, marine ecologist Doug Rasher saw little sign of the curtains of lush green kelp forests he would have had to push through decades earlier. The younger sea otters can also be attacked on the water surface by bald eagles. This is why we consider the sea otter a keystone species. Current Conservation Efforts The body is dense, cylindrical, oblong, and the paws are short and strong. What are the natural predators of sea otters? After all, they live in a diverse environment with a large number of potential prey species, many of which probably require different hunting tactics and handling skills to process efficiently. Humans also kill sea otters when they use fishing gear that traps the otter or hit the otter with boats. Find answers now! The predators that Otters will encounter depend on where they happen to live. Sea otters, the “keystone predator" of Aleutian Islands’ kelp forests, experienced dramatic population declines in the 1990s. Sea otters, for example, are long known to promote the growth of kelp forests by feeding on sea urchins. These predators hunt the gulls in different ways, depending on the predator’s strengths and weaknesses. Its greatest enemies are sea lions, killer whales, great white sharks, bears, and coyotes. 4. A Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book A Green Earth Book Award Winner This up-close look at a fascinating scientific discovery highlights the critical role predators such as sea otters play in keeping ecosystems healthy. Who would win in a battle between a sea otter and a doberman? Sea otters have a diet of mussels, clams, crabs and fish. Of course Otters aren't the most powerful animals out there which is why they often find safety in numbers. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning if they are removed from an ecosystem the whole systems could fall apart. Sea otters are mostly eaten by orca whales. Ain’t no party like a sea otter party! On land, coyotes and bobcats also predate on otters. read more. Sea otters are provided a varied diet while in human care. Several predators eat seagulls, including foxes, weasels, sharks and predatory birds. Sea otters, Enhydra lutris, are found in two geographic regions on the Pacific Coast: along the Kuril and Commander Islands off the coast of Russia, the Aleutian Islands below the Bering Sea, and the coastal waters off the Alaskan Peninsula to Vancouver Island, Canada; and along the central California coast from Ano Nuevo to Point Sur. The otters can get caught in the nets and drown. read more, There are several other predators that the Otter has to worry about as well. As others have written, killer whales and sharks are the biggest threat to sea otters of all sizes if they are in the ocean. In Elkhorn Slough, an… View available downloads → Sea Otter Heroes. “It feels like a ghost town,” says Rasher, a researcher at the nonprofit Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. The most common fish consumed are perch, suckers, and catfish. Sea otters are also considered an apex predator in their estuary habitat, eating not only urchins but a variety of mollusks and crustaceans—including crabs. Source: otter-world.com. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Bald eagles are also known to prey on young otter pups. They prey on crustaceans by using pairs of rocks to crush the outer shells, easily accessing the soft flesh inside. What are sea otters predators? In this manner, sea otters are keystone predators in the kelp forests where they live. Photo by Becky King, National Park Service. — of sea otters along the Aleutian Islands. In the press release, Stillman used the example of sea otters' movement into estuaries. Sea otters are major predators of sea urchins and other invertebrates which feed on the giant kelp, which forms underwater ‘forests’ of vital habitat for a great abundance of biodiversity. Their environment has a greater effect than other species time in the water species is a favorite of otters. Crabs, octopus, sea otters declined ( for reasons scientists are still to! 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